Prime Minister Ishiba announces his plans to step down, according to government officials

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba Announces Resignation

In a surprising turn of events, Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has announced his intention to step down, according to senior government officials. This announcement comes after escalating calls within the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) to hold an early presidential race.

The announcement was made on Sunday, a day before the LDP was supposed to decide whether to hold a presidential contest. The LDP, which lost its majority in the House of Councillors election on July 20, had planned to collect signatures from its lawmakers on Monday to determine whether to hold a presidential election ahead of the scheduled contest in 2027.

The decision to cancel the procedures followed Ishiba's announcement of his intention to resign. Many lawmakers pressing Ishiba to step down have close ties with former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Suga and Aso, both influential in the LDP, have kept their distance from Ishiba. Suga is the LDP's vice president, and Aso was prime minister for around a year from September 2008.

Ishiba took office in October 2024, and his tenure has been marked by several challenges. The LDP's election review report, released more than a month after the upper house race, points to a political funds scandal as the main cause of the party's setback. Some of the LDP factions, including one formerly led by the late Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, failed to report portions of income from fundraising events and created slush funds.

In the aftermath of the scandal, Suzuki, a member of a faction led by former Prime Minister Taro Aso, called for an LDP presidential election. The talks were believed to have been about avoiding a split in the LDP. However, no direct connection to Ishiba's resignation announcement is provided in the documents available.

Ishiba has expressed readiness to resign from a key party post, but he has not determined his political future at an "appropriate time". He held talks with former Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and farm minister Shinjiro Koizumi on Saturday night. Ishiba is expected to hold a press conference at 6 p.m. on Sunday.

It is worth noting that the LDP has never held a midterm leadership election triggered by a majority decision. According to media opinion polls, more than 50 percent of respondents said Ishiba's resignation was unnecessary.

This development in Japanese politics is certain to have far-reaching implications, and we will continue to monitor the situation closely. Stay tuned for more updates.

Prime Minister Ishiba announces his plans to step down, according to government officials